Florida Domestic Violence Coordination Framework
Partnership and coordination standards for DV-related entities across Florida.
Florida: Multi-County Coordination and High-Volume Service Ecosystem
Overview of the Florida Service Ecosystem
Florida operates a high-volume, multi-layered ecosystem for domestic violence services, characterized by large urban centers, rapidly growing suburban corridors, and resource-limited rural regions. Coordination efforts frequently span multiple counties, judicial circuits, and funding streams.
Agencies working in Florida typically interact across:
- Judicial circuits that do not always align with county or regional service boundaries
- Local, regional, and statewide partners with differing mandates and capacities
- Separate, sometimes parallel, funding and reporting requirements at state and local levels
Structural Characteristics and Regional Complexity
Florida’s configuration presents several recurring structural factors that influence coordination:
- Population concentration: High-density regions (e.g., South Florida, Tampa Bay, Orlando) generate substantial service demand and frequent cross-county referrals.
- Tourism and transience: Visitor and seasonal populations contribute to jurisdictional questions and short-term service episodes that may span multiple counties.
- Rural and frontier areas: Limited local infrastructure in some counties increases reliance on regional hubs and remote service models.
- Disaster and emergency contexts: Hurricanes and other emergencies periodically shift shelter utilization, transportation patterns, and cross-county sheltering arrangements.
These dynamics create a need for consistent, predictable operational frameworks that enable agencies to coordinate across county lines while maintaining compliance with relevant state-level expectations.
Regional Coordination Models in Florida
Multi-county coordination in Florida tends to follow several practical models, often used in combination.
1. Hub-and-Spoke Regional Service Model
In this model, one or more agencies function as regional hubs that support surrounding counties with limited services or infrastructure.
- Regional hubs: Provide primary shelter capacity, specialized legal or clinical services, data infrastructure, and training.
- Spoke agencies: Offer local advocacy, outreach, and navigation, and connect with hubs for higher-intensity or specialized needs.
- Operational tools: Regional MOUs, standard referral protocols, shared transportation arrangements, and harmonized intake forms.
2. Judicial-Circuit-Aligned Coordination
Because court jurisdictions are central to protection order processes and related proceedings, some coalitions and agencies structure coordination around judicial circuits rather than county lines.
- Circuit-based workgroups: Regular cross-agency meetings including courts, law enforcement, prosecution, civil legal partners, and advocacy agencies.
- Circuit-wide protocols: Standardized procedures for court accompaniment, information exchange, and referral flows, regardless of county of residence.
- Training alignment: Joint training on court processes, documentation standards, and role clarity across counties in the same circuit.
3. Multi-County Consortiums and Task Forces
Some Florida regions operate multi-county consortiums that convene diverse partners around shared priorities.
- Standing consortiums: Regularly scheduled coordination bodies with defined membership, workplans, and rotating facilitation.
- Thematic task forces: Time-limited groups focused on particular operational questions (e.g., transportation, cross-county referrals, language access).
- Shared infrastructure: Examples include centralized resource lists, joint training calendars, and unified outreach materials for multi-county use.
Framework for Multi-County Integration
Multi-county integration in Florida is more effective when agencies apply a structured framework that clarifies purpose, roles, and decision-making.
1. Purpose and Scope Definition
Partners benefit from an early, explicit definition of the integration scope:
- Counties and circuits included in the coordination initiative
- Service components covered (e.g., shelter bed sharing, after-hours hotline coverage, joint outreach, training, data coordination)
- Relationship to statewide or regional coalitions and funding requirements
2. Governance and Decision-Making
Simply convening meetings is often insufficient; multi-county integration usually requires defined governance structures.
- Steering group: A representative body that sets priorities, confirms protocols, and oversees implementation.
- Operational subgroups: Smaller teams focused on specific functions (e.g., shelter operations, legal coordination, data and reporting).
- Decision thresholds: Clarity on what decisions require multi-agency agreement versus local discretion.
3. Role Clarification and Service Mapping
Partners typically gain from jointly mapping who provides which services, where, and under what parameters.
- Service matrices identifying lead, supporting, and backup agencies by county and service type
- Coverage schedules for hotlines, transportation, and after-hours coordination
- Agreed-upon escalation paths when a service gap is identified
Operational MOUs for Florida’s Multi-County Context
Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) can provide structure for cross-county cooperation while allowing local flexibility.
Core Elements of Multi-County MOUs
- Geographic scope: Specific counties and circuits covered by the agreement.
- Service components: Clearly defined activities (e.g., bed-sharing agreements, cross-county hotline coverage, emergency hoteling, transportation protocols).
- Communication protocols: Points of contact, notification timelines, and processes for resolving coordination issues.
- Data coordination: Parameters for aggregate reporting, trend analysis, and any agreed-upon data exchange mechanisms.
- Resource exchange: Conditions for sharing staff, training, transportation assets, or emergency supplies across county lines.
- Review timelines: Scheduled intervals for reviewing and updating the agreement.
Tiered MOU Approaches
Some Florida regions use tiered MOUs to reflect different levels of partnership.
- Baseline MOUs: Minimal coordination for referrals, information exchange, and contact directories.
- Enhanced MOUs: Additional commitments for shared protocols, joint outreach, or cross-training.
- Strategic MOUs: Multi-year collaborations including shared funding applications, integrated data projects, or coordinated regional planning.
Data and Reporting Coordination
Florida’s high-volume environment often requires harmonized data practices to support planning, funding, and system-level evaluation.
Data-Sharing Considerations
Without referencing specific statutes or legal standards, agencies can still align on core operational principles:
- Use of standardized data definitions for key indicators across counties
- Aggregate, de-identified reporting for regional planning and funding discussions
- Documented processes for data quality review and reconciliation across agencies
- Clear internal guidance on separation between operational coordination and any confidential records that remain at the agency level
Regional Dashboards and Metrics
Some Florida regions benefit from shared metrics that support system-level oversight.
- Cross-county shelter utilization trends and capacity indicators
- Time-to-connection for referrals across county lines
- Participation in joint trainings and technical assistance activities
- Tracking of multi-county cases to inform protocol adjustments
Additional coordination resources and ecosystem-level perspectives are available through the broader environment hosted at DV.Support, which some agencies use for benchmarking and collaborative planning.
Best Practices for Multi-County Integration in Florida
The following operational practices have been effective in complex, high-volume Florida regions.
1. Standardized, Multi-County Referral Protocols
- Use common referral templates across participating counties to reduce variation.
- Maintain updated cross-county contact lists with primary and backup coordination roles.
- Set expectations for response times and confirmation of referral outcomes.
2. Shared Training and Technical Assistance
- Offer joint, regional training sessions that include advocacy organizations, shelters, legal partners, and allied systems.
- Create a multi-county training calendar to coordinate topics and prevent duplication.
- Invite regional stakeholders (e.g., healthcare, behavioral health, housing partners) to relevant training modules to reinforce shared understanding.
3. Multi-County Bed Management and Capacity Sharing
- Develop clear protocols for when and how one county’s shelter may accept referrals from another.
- Establish communication procedures for temporarily exceeding usual catchment boundaries during high-demand periods or emergencies.
- Use simple, shared tools (e.g., regularly updated spreadsheets or secure dashboards) to indicate available capacity across counties.
4. Coordinated Transportation and Logistics
- Identify transportation partners (public transit, contracted providers, rideshare arrangements managed at the agency level) that can operate across county lines.
- Create a decision tree for how transportation is offered, scheduled, and funded in multi-county situations.
- Designate staff or roles specifically responsible for cross-county logistics coordination.
5. Emergency and Surge Planning
- Develop multi-county surge plans for hurricanes, evacuations, or other events that affect capacity and access.
- Pre-identify alternative sheltering and hoteling options when local capacity is exceeded.
- Clarify reimbursement and documentation procedures for cross-county support during declared emergencies.
Funding Collaboration in Florida
Florida’s scale and diversity often create opportunities for coordinated funding strategies that cross county boundaries.
Joint Funding Approaches
- Regional proposals: Multi-county applications that demonstrate shared governance, consistent protocols, and measurable regional outcomes.
- Lead agency models: One agency manages administrative functions while program delivery is distributed across counties.
- Resource-braiding strategies: Combining multiple funding sources to support regional infrastructure such as data systems, training, and transportation.
Fiscal and Reporting Coordination
- Align reporting timelines and templates where feasible across funders and counties.
- Use regional dashboards or consolidated reports to demonstrate system-level impact.
- Maintain clear internal documentation on cost allocation, particularly when staff or services are shared across counties.
Implementation Roadmap for Florida Regions
Agencies seeking to strengthen multi-county coordination in Florida can use a staged implementation approach.
Short-Term (0–6 Months)
- Map existing cross-county relationships, MOUs, and informal practices.
- Convene a small, representative group to define priorities and scope.
- Agree on basic referral standards and update cross-county contact lists.
Medium-Term (6–18 Months)
- Develop or refine written multi-county protocols and MOUs.
- Launch at least one shared initiative (e.g., joint training series, regional data pilot, coordinated transportation protocol).
- Begin regular review of shared indicators to assess system performance.
Long-Term (18+ Months)
- Evaluate the effectiveness of regional governance structures and adjust as needed.
- Explore or expand joint funding strategies to sustain shared infrastructure.
- Integrate lessons learned into ongoing regional and statewide planning processes.